Today is my birthday. I’ve made it a habit for the past couple of years to take the day off from work to enjoy myself and focus on fitness related activities.

I started the day by going to the Training Room in Avon. It felt great to commute somewhere other than work. Today’s workout was a strength session called the D-Dog circuit: 1 minute of work/30 seconds of rest non-stop for 4 rounds. The circuit entailed the following:

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Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. – Brian Tracy

Today I had a long day at work. I was up early and made it to the office at 8:30am. I was in the office till close to 7pm. I returned home and quickly changed to do my run before it started to get too dark. I ran in my neighborhood which is safe. The weather was very nice. It was 65 degrees with some light wind. I did an easy 5 miler just to get a feel on the distance. It was challenging but ok. Challenging partly due to being tired from an exhausting work day and partly due to muscle soreness from yesterday’s CrossFit session. I’m taking this one step at a time and am thankful that I am back to running again with no issues.

While on my way home from work, I was contemplating whether to run or not. I also comtemplated about the distance. I initially wanted to do 4 miles but decided that 5 miles would be better. Being focused is what helped me persevere with the workout.

I am happy with the continued progress that I’ve reached. I look forward to achieving more. 🙂

I completed the challenge in 27′ 10″. I focused more on form. The workout was definitely challenging! I was saddened because I was the last one to complete the challenge. However, the group was very encouraging and they were cheering me on to finish. In addition, I received a nice compliment from Jim about my form. 🙂

After CrossFit, I did a 2 mile easy run. I had intended to run a mile before XF but after knowing what the workout entailed I didn’t want to take the chance of suffering. It really was hard as it is. I’m very happy to have had the energy to run. I’m grateful.

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers! I hope everyone enjoyed this lovely day. 🙂

This morning I ran 7.2 miles @ Bodman Park. I met with a couple friends and they stayed with me until we got up the hill (i.e. the infamous “kick-ass” hill). They continued on as they were doing a longer distance. I then proceeded on my own to return back to the park but accidentally made a wrong turn onto Luffburrow Lane. I guess I must’ve zoned out. I realized that the road looked somewhat familiar and not at the same time. This is my second time back kto Bodman this month since February so my memory is a little rusty. After reaching the end of the road and making a right turn on Navesink River Rd, I hesitated that I was not in the right direction leading back to the park so I turned around and went back to the main road (Cooper Rd) to proceed on Patterson Lane and then back to the park. It was not my intention to go the extra mile (pun not intended). I guess it was meant to be. I felt good running though. I was still sore from Thursday’s CrossFit session and Saturday’s track but it felt fine.

This evening I did a 15 minute ab session and a 20 minute pilates session. I haven’t done either in a little over two weeks. Hence, it was good to get back started again.

I’m pleased that I’ve made progress in my return back to running. I look forward to getting stronger and better.

After doing parts 1 and 2, I didn’t think I had the energy to continue with the final piece of the workout. It’s amazing on how it’s easy to talk oneself in or out of something. Being focused is key. It’s easier said than done but as with everything practice makes perfect. 🙂

After the workout the group convened @ Dunkin Donuts for coffee and some socializing. I love my running peeps!

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On Cinco de Mayo – Thursday, May 5th – I went to CrossFit after work to do my cross training workout. The challenge of the day was double kettlebell strength. We did the workout outside because it was very nice out. 🙂 The workout options were 5 sets of 5 or 3 sets of 10. I partnered with Jenna on this and we did 5 sets of 5 for with the exception of the bench press where we did 4 sets of 10. The exercises were: Double KB front squat with 30lb KBs each, renegade rows with 25lb dumbell, single leg dead lift (started with 12kg KB and the final 2 sets did 14kg), bench press (started with 45 lb barbell and then went up to 55 lbs the final two sets), and finally abs (knee to chest, rollouts, and a couple of others). Here’s the video of the workout in the event you would like to check it out. 🙂

Following XFit, I did a 2 mile easy run. It was a bit challenging because my legs were heavy from the strength workout. It felt fine though.

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Today was an unusual day in a sense that I had to alter my schedule and routine a little bit to accommodate a work engagement. I did my 4 mile run this morning. It was rainy. I didn’t mind the rain. The good news is that it was not down pouring, LOL! 🙂 The temperature was 57 degrees with some wind.

I feel that I’ve improved my endurance. I still have a long way to go but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made thus far. 🙂 This morning I was reflecting on how happy I was to be out running. It felt great! I felt like a bird out of its cage. I enjoy feeling free. 🙂

We finished our meetings at 9:30pm (work). I have a long drive home. I also have a few things I need to attend to before tomorrow.